Serpent's Blow
by The Altar and the Door
Summary: And so the serpent waited. He rested on the warm rocks, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. —One-shot— First one, so CC would be nice.


**Serpent's Blow**

_And so the serpent rested his head on the warm rocks. Waiting for the perfect chance to strike, the serpent's blow remained._

—**Me**

The forest was silent aside from the crickets that serenaded to one another. Cool night air met the skin of a dark feline figure. The forest itself seemed to anticipate his arrival as he emerged from a blanket of mist. A pair of icy amber eyes surveyed their surroundings.

The cat stepped out into the moonlight when his name was called in the distance. A shiver went through him as he felt the icy grip of silvery white. The moon was not his friend. He dreaded the day the moon would avenge the lives of those he'd taken. The moon had never enjoyed his companionship, and in the end, the two of them had chosen separate paths. The newcomer made slow progress towards the one who called out his name.

Once he reached the Speaker, his eyes narrowed into tiny slits. A silvery white she-cat stood before him. Her piercing green gaze made his lips curl in disgust.

"Iceflower, why have you summoned me?" he demanded.

"I seek your help." Those simple words made his teeth bare in defiance. "You cannot leave until the Speaker's offer is complete," she added coldly. The dark-pelted tom flinched at those words. "And I want you to kill my sister." Iceflower's voice was icy calm as she held his gaze.

"And why would I want to kill your sister?" The tom's fangs were bared once more as he glowered at the Speaker.

"My sister was just named deputy of ThunderClan," Iceflower explained. "I wanted the position, but Redstar saw fit to name my sister, a _weakling_, _pathetic_ little _queen_, to become his deputy!" She spat the last bit of words out as she tried to calm herself. "I want you to kill her so that he can name me as his deputy."

"Your sister's name. . .what is it?" The tom barely whispered those words, but Iceflower could hear the concern in his voice.

Amusement glittered within her green eyes as she held his gaze. "Her name is Moonstrike," she replied. "She is the vein of my existence, and yours I presume." Iceflower watched him recoil as if she'd struck him down.

"Very well." The tom raised his chin after recovering from the shock she'd caused. "I will do as the Summoner Speaks."

Light seemed to flash from behind as he faded from existence. Iceflower's eyes narrowed into tiny slits. She knew now he had no choice but to follow through with her plans. She was the only one who knew how to summon the Evil One at will.

_And I will be the one to end my sister's life_, she thought bitterly.

. . .

The following day had proved uneventful for Iceflower. She kept an eye on Moonstrike, who was showing a new apprentice battle moves _she_ had taught her. Iceflower's eyes narrowed into tiny slits. No cat in her Clan trusted her. She couldn't blame them, but it had been her dream to become deputy. Moonstrike's promise was meaningless to Iceflower. She wanted to become deputy on her own, not without the help of her useless lump of a sister.

"Iceflower, why are you just sitting around?" Iceflower didn't move when she heard her friend, Shadefoot, speak. The dark gray and black tom was always at her side, eager to learn everything she had discovered when she was an apprentice. "I thought you were going to. . .take care of your problem?" His voice lowered as he asked the question cautiously.

The silvery white she-cat suddenly slammed a paw down his nape. Shadefoot staggered backwards in shock. Her eyes gleamed maliciously as she glowered at him.

"Quiet you piece of foxdung," she snapped. "I don't want you blathering about my secrets!"

The younger warrior glowered at her and examined the new wound on his shoulder. It was bleeding, but she knew he would recover. She rolled her eyes when he limped over to the medicine cat's den. What a useless lump of fur. He was as bad as Moonstrike.

Her expression quickly changed to amusement when the silver tabby approached her. Moonstrike's amber eyes flashed when she caught some kind of emotion within her sister's gaze.

"Iceflower, I was. . .I was wondering if you'd like to go hunting," she offered. "Kind of like we used to when we were apprentices."

Surprise flared within Iceflower. She looked around to see if any cats had been listening. This would be the perfect opportunity she'd been waiting for. If she sought out the Evil One, they could take care of Moonstrike together. For the first time in seasons Iceflower had something to look forward to.

She simply allowed Moonstrike to take the lead. They headed through the gorse tunnel, ducking their heads to a couple of senior warriors. Dawntail and Harestep had been sharing tongues near the entrance. Both cats watched Moonstrike and Iceflower in surprise. The pair of sisters had rarely spent any time together since they became warriors, so Iceflower wasn't surprised to see their reactions.

Moonstrike led the way towards the Owl Tree. It was a good place to hunt, and had plenty of hiding places for the Evil One. Already Iceflower found herself seeking him out, whispering the words used to summon him. Her lips twisted in a cruel grin as she approached the Owl Tree.

"So, dear sister, do you know why I am here?" Iceflower found herself facing Moonstrike once more. Her green eyes were filled with hate as she kept Moonstrike's startled gaze. When Moonstrike shook her head, Iceflower felt a yowl of frustration rising in her throat. "Of course you're oblivious! Most of the Clan is oblivious to _my_ life!"

"Iceflower, what in StarClan's name are you talking about?" Moonstrike demanded. She took on the role as deputy, ignoring Iceflower's icy gaze as she raised her chin proudly. "I have done nothing but help you in the past, and this is how you repay me?"

"You stole my chance at proving myself to the Clan when we were apprentices," Iceflower spat. "You stole my love life away from me. You stole everything! And look where it has gotten you. I am about to be named as deputy of ThunderClan, while you can huddle together with our so-called ancestors!" By now foam was spewing from her mouth, and the anger in her gaze burned with a wildness Moonstrike had never seen before.

Moonstrike stared at her sister in alarm. "Iceflower, I have done none of those things," she rasped. "What you think I've done is wrongly accused."

_I summon Thee_. . .Iceflower felt the words rising in her throat. Pure rage was boiling within her now as she glared at her sister. _Come now, and destroy the one I hate the most_!

Shock seeped through Moonstrike when she watched a shadowy figure emerge from the trees that loomed beside them. A pair of yellow eyes gleamed through the darkness as a cat approached Iceflower. The silvery white warrior was trembling now, shoulders tight with tension as she met the newcomer's gaze.

"Snakeclaw. . ." Moonstrike barely whispered the words. The dark tabby flinched when he heard her achingly familiar voice. "You're the one who killed Hawkstrike."

"An action I deeply regret," he rumbled. The vibrations in his throat caused the ground underneath to shake violently. "But I must do as the Summoner says."

"Snakeclaw, why? You were such a good warrior. . .ThunderClan needed you." Moonstrike found herself shaking with both fear and anger as she tried to understand what was happening. She wanted to know what a Summoner was, and why he had suddenly reemerged after seasons of fading from the memories of his Clanmates.

"It seems I am needed once more." Snakeclaw looked back at Iceflower, whose eyes were clouded over with confusion. "You told me to kill the one you hate. I can see now that you hate yourself. You hate what you have become. And now my deed shall be completed."

Without another word he unsheathed his claws. A shiver of dread swept over Moonstrike as she watched his unnaturally long claws slice down Iceflower's chest. She could only watch as blood seeped from her sister's wound. Within the next heartbeat Iceflower had fallen to the ground. The rage that had once burned within Iceflower's eyes was now gone. Nothing was left but peace after her death.

"Snakeclaw I. . ." Moonstrike found herself facing Snakeclaw on her own. The Evil One, she assumed, was eying her coolly.

"And so the moon and I become enemies once more," he rasped.

Moonstrike found herself dropping into a hunter's crouch, waiting for Snakeclaw to make his move. The serpent's eyes flashed before he looked away at Iceflower's slain body.

"I will leave. . .for now," he whispered. "But know that once we meet again I will do whatever it takes to kill you."

She could only watch as he faded before her eyes. Now she had one more mess to clean up. Convincing her Clan that a fox had killed Iceflower would be easy. Living up to the reputation she had garnered would be more difficult. Cats would question why she and Iceflower had been out alone. Once they discovered what really happen, there was no telling what would happen.

**A/N: So this is a random one-shot I came up with. It's a bit different and probably just a tad confusing, but you get the idea. Sister hates sister, sister decides to kill sister for the position of deputy, blah. Yeah. Anyways, hope I see some CC, would be nice :)**


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